The loudspeakers production in Kenkävero had begun by the end of the 1960’s. In the autumn of 1970 it was Olavi Räsänen Oy who became recognized for manufacturing loudspeakers.
At first, there were around twenty people manufacturing loudspeakers for the company. Some of the loudspeakers were exported to Sweden, whilst in Finland Hirvox and Radio-Sointu ordered their own brand of loudspeakers for their stereo packages.
For years, an important part of Olavi Räsänen Oy's loudspeaker production was the manufacturing of loudspeakers using the customers' own brands such as Blaupunkt, Philips, Rank Arena and Telefunken. By 1974, 90 percent of the production was exported. In just a few years, Olavi Räsänen Oy had become the leading loudspeaker manufacturer in Finland, and years of growth were still to come.
The manufacturing of loudspeakers in Kenkävero ended during the early part of 1974 and the operations moved to Seurala. After the move, the production increased to between 300 and 400 loudspeakers a day.
That same year Olavi Räsänen Oy signed a tripartite agreement with another Finnish company Kaukomarkkinat Oy and Japanese manufacturer Matsushita Electric to became the only company in Europe to use the National Panasonic brand. | |
That same year Olavi Räsänen Oy signed a tripartite agreement with another Finnish company Kaukomarkkinat Oy and Japanese manufacturer Matsushita Electric to became the only company in Europe to use the National Panasonic brand.
The company started putting more money into its own research and development programs during 1977; this resulted in the completion of the testing and measuring laboratory. The first Olavi Räsänen Oy branded loudspeaker was well received later that year.
The market situation changed drastically by the turn of the decade and 1980 became a turning point for the company as cooperation with the Japanese decreased. This situation made the company invest more in its own R&D. New products were launched and by the end of the 80s Olavi Räsänen Oy was again the number one loudspeaker manufacturer in Finland.
The 80’s also saw loudspeakers manufactured for new Japanese brands as well including Fischer, Yamaha and Hitachi. The annual production increased to over 200 000 loudspeakers out of which a significant proportion was exported.
The growth continued until the recession of the 90s, which tightened the competition. Products manufactured in Europe, Japan and other Far Eastern countries found their way to Finland.
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 OR-18 Qi loudspeakers in Kenkävero showroom.
The past ten years have been stable in Mikkeli. The number of people manufacturing loudspeakers has been around twenty.
The production numbers are now smaller, but the average loudspeaker prices have also changed. The company has been looking for new markets through export. Since 2004, Olavi Räsänen Oy has also manufactured loudspeakers under the Chorus brand.
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